Richmond, Indiana
My dear Mother,
At a town where the train paused a few moments – say half an hour – just before sunset, Xenia Ohio, we had a perfect ovation. Ladies, Gentlemen & Children thronged the train its whole length of some 30 cars and loaded down the soldiers with all kinds of eatables. When they found Gen. Howard was on board the Ladies all came along in succession to shake hands with him as he stood on the platform of the rear car. They heaped upon us their gifts of pies, cakes, Bread & butter, sandwiches, apples, peaches and most abundantly grapes.
A dozen or so of the little girls brought paper for the General to write his name upon – which he did for as many as he could until the cars left. […]
Charles Henry Howard to his mother, Eliza Otis Howard [Charles Henry Howard Collection]